


Top Dog

by Mistressaq



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, And Maybe Something More, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Fantasy Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-06-09 22:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15277350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistressaq/pseuds/Mistressaq
Summary: Sharon's style is cramped when Phi Phi Ohara infringes on her territory. Sharon challenges the newcomer. It does not go well for her, but the two werewolves end up sharing a connection.





	1. The Other

Sharon’s senses itched. There was something creeping at the edges. Something was amiss in her city, in her woods. _This is my place. This is my turf, and something… threatens it_.

For a long time, she couldn’t tell what it was. Just the general unease made hiding her condition much harder than usual -- which only pissed her off more. She didn’t need any extra threat of exposure. This past week, her neighbors threw a party and she had to wake herself up before she wolfed out and ate a house full of drunk teenagers. Ever since then, she’s strapped herself in when she went to bed.

It was like it had been in the early days, before she knew what was happening, before she had a grasp of what her body was doing, what her mind molded into in those times. The rage, the running, the hunger that couldn’t be satisfied. The blackouts.

Sharon gripped the back of her neck and forced herself to take a deep breath. No, that was how people got killed. She had this. She was going to live.

Her canines pressed against her bottom lip. _But if I’m going to live, I can’t be exposed. If shit keeps going like it has been, I will be. Which means I have to find whatever it is that has been throwing off the balance, and kill it_.

As if prompted, the sun set, flooding Sharon’s basement wolf den with golden light. It would be soon. She had to prepare.

Sharon broke out the whiskey.

Three hours later, Sharon pulled off the last of her human clothes and took a last look in the mirror. Her skin was like see-through parchment, blue veins below the surface could be tracked all over her body. Gingerly, she traced her fingers over her most recent scars, the ones that hadn’t healed all the way. The one on the back of her right hand had been really bad -- she’d seriously considered going to the ER for that one, she could actually see bone -- but even that was now baby pink, half-moon shaped. It only vaguely resembled a bite mark, and soon, it wouldn’t look much different from the surrounding pale skin.

The moon rose higher. Sharon felt it prickle from behind her breastbone out to her shoulders and all the way down to her toes. It was go time.

As soon as she’d stepped a foot outside, a sound echoed through the night. Sharon froze. She stopped breathing.

Everything clicked. A howl. That was a howl. And not any howl. A _werewolf_ howl.

Without meditating, without having to find her inner self, or tap into any anger, The Change ripped through Sharon instinctively. A scream started in her throat when hot burning pain flashed through her like she’d been sliced open from the inside. She doubted the booze even dampened the pain this time. Shit. The sound that had built in her throat warped, deepened, gained vibration. By the time the Wolf had fully taken over, her scream had become a growl.

Sharon’s vision sharpened. She exchanged cones for rods. Advanced night vision lit up the environment around her. There was hardly a breeze but she tasted every scent. The deep, woody forest, the fresh brooke bubbling a hundred yards away, choking chemicals of car exhaust down the road. Above it all, the scent that blocked out all others, was the gruesome, wrong stench of the Other.

Wolf Sharon took off. Her spine and muscles contorted the rest of the way, until she was quadrupedal, four paws rarely on the ground all at once. She tore through the night, evading trees and bounding fences with foresight that could only have come from the animal. Her throat buzzed, announcing her approach to the Other.

Their kind were more than animals. The human ability for reasoning and strategy gave them dignity. A beast would think nothing of a sneak attack. The woman knew to do so would be against the honor of the fight. Of course, Sharon played dirty, but she was rarely without honor.

The Other started pacing. Preparing for her. Drool fell from Sharon’s open maw. The scent was overpowering. She bulleted over the land. Her claws ripped up the soft topsoil. Her muscles pumped full of anticipation. There was no way this Other Wolf would survive. She had won already.

Sharon was within a hundred yards. She saw the Other. They were smaller than her, but she knew well that shorter stature leant itself to dexterity. _She may be agile,_ thought Sharon, her muscles tensing _but I am strong_.

The Other paced in a circle, too swift for Sharon to be certain she could catch her immediately. Sharon opted for display of superiority; jumping on top of a dumpster to get her onto the bottom tier of a roof. Clay tiles cracked under her feet. She scaled the rest of the tall roof until she hit the peak.

Sharon leapt into the night air. Her senses were so heightened it felt like half an hour she was in midair. Looking down, she caught moonlight reflected in the Other’s eyes. Sharon braced for impact.

Staring down the smaller wolf, Sharon growled, drooled in anticipation. Her lips pulled tight away from her mouth. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her limbs spread, nails dug into the ground. She snarled, but contained herself.

_On my turf. You’re Challenger._

She was so aggressive, Sharon didn’t know if a message would pass through the Wolf Connection, if it would be understandable. Her breath was hot. If the Other didn’t know what she meant, if she didn’t know the honor code of challenger strikes first, Sharon doubted if she would be able to tell her.

_Understood._

The Other shifted, started to pace a circle around Sharon. Sharon, in turn, circled back. Every second she drew this out was torture to Sharon. She snarled, gave false starts, but the Other clearly fought on her own time.

A sound escaped Sharon that was like a roar and a growl. _God! Just start it alread--_

The Other pounced, without warning, and nailed Sharon right in the shoulders.

The Other retreated behind Sharon, drawing their fight away from derelict homes, back into the woods. Sharon righted herself and raced at the Other, jaws open. She clapped her teeth around what was supposed to be Her head, but only succeeded in plucking some hair from the tip of the Other’s ear. Meanwhile, the Other turned back and struck her claws across the side of Sharon’s face, down her throat.

Sharon gasped at the sudden sting of heat. She managed to lunge at the Other and pin her to the ground. Sharon shoved her weight over her paws, pushing into Her ribcage. Drops of blood fell from Sharon onto the Other’s face.

She licked Sharon’s blood off Her lips. Something glinted in Her eye. She smacked her back paws against Sharon’s undercarriage, freeing Herself. Sharon felt fresh needlepoints of pain in her lower belly.

The Other grabbed her by the ear and swung Sharon into a cobblestone wall. The decrepit structure crumbled around her, showering her with dust and covering her with rock and debris. She wheezed, but re-affixed her glare on the other wolf and snapped her jaws.

The Other bent back on her haunches, leaping five feet in the air just in time to dodge Sharon’s latest advance. She reared around and sped forward, clamping her teeth around Sharon’s hind leg.

Sharon howled, her predator ego shattering under this other wolf’s hot teeth, along with her tibia.

The Other pulled. The rest of Sharon’s legs gave out. Sharon uttered pained whimpers.

She started playing ragdoll with Sharon’s leg. Sharon’s human mind broke through -- _consequences. She’s gonna rip my leg off. I can’t go into work suddenly a gimp_.

She gave another tug and Sharon threw away her pride. If she didn’t submit now, she would absolutely lose the leg.

_Fuck! Stop! I concede! I CONCEDE!!!_

The Other dropped her leg. Sharon panted. _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck_ …

~~~~~

If Sharon was aware of being moved, it wasn’t for long. The wolf shrank, fur receding, size pulling back as she slipped further into her more delicate semi-human state.

Phi Phi had no qualms with killing -- she had certainly done it, and would do it again if needed. But a concession was so rare, it felt dishonorable to ignore it. This local blonde wolf had clearly been flying solo, a de facto leader for some time. But now, with a concession from the previous alpha… Phi Phi really had nothing to fear from her.

In the woods, she grabbed the blonde by the scruff of her neck, less than gently, and dragged the other werewolf to the place Phi Phi had set up for herself.

An abandoned mineshaft, her makeshift cave was dark, and cold most of the time. But it was shelter, and a place they would not be found, and where the senior wolf’s yelps and whimpers would not be heard.

The moon was still full, high in the sky. The night was not even half over. The blonde had fallen quickly.

Without opposable thumbs, Phi Phi set up a stack of leaves, soft dirt and hay for her injured guest to rest on. All she did really was pant and whine and bleed. When Phi Phi decided the bed was as good as it was going to be, she again dragged her guest over by the scruff of her neck, until she reclined on the softness next to the wall. Then she pulled up beside the fallen alpha, lay down, and started licking the other’s wounds.

~~~~~

Sharon thought she saw the bitch who had defeated her curled up beside her, offering her body heat and licking her wounds to help Sharon heal. The more Sharon had licked previous wounds, the quicker her healing process happened. Was… was this wolf helping her after nearly ripping her limbs off? No, that couldn’t be. And she hurt so much. And her muscles ached. Her body remembered exactly where she’d struck the stone wall. She didn’t like it, being awake. She was so tired…

…

The next thing Sharon knew, the sun was shining off the treetops and her body was much smaller, significantly less covered in hair. And she was on the ground. She tried to move, but quickly regretted that.

“Ah! Fuck! Jesus,” Sharon looked to her leg, which seemed most of the problem. Then again, moving her neck wasn’t fun either. Her skin felt sticky.

“Don’t touch,” asserted a voice.

Sharon startled and pulled her hand away from her neck. A few feet away sat another woman, her skin significantly darker than Sharon’s, and though she was sitting down, Sharon could tell the girl was short. “Are you…” Sharon started.

“The bitch who knocked you down a peg,” said the Other plainly. “You’re welcome, by the way, for sparing your life, and for bringing you into my home, _and_ for helping heal you.”

Sharon’s mind was moving slow. She ached. Also, she was naked. Both of them were. And they’d both been covered in fur until recently, so… maybe it wasn’t weird. Whatever. Sharon’s mouth was… sticky. Dry, she realized. “I’m thirsty.”

“I bet.”

Suddenly a lukewarm plastic water bottle was thrown near Sharon. Slowly, she reached for it. While she undid the cap, Sharon looked up to the other woman in the cave, trying to figure her out. _Why come here? She must have known another wolf was in this town, why didn’t she just stay away? What was her name again?_

“Thank you,” said Sharon softly. After she’d drained half the water bottle, she felt tired again. She relaxed against the rough wall of the cave.

The other shrugged. “It was only the decent thing to do, once you were blubbering for your mama.”

“Hey,” Sharon protested weakly.

“Chill.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m only teasing.”

Sharon relaxed. Her eyelids drifted down. She did her best healing asleep. Her body really wanted to mend itself. But before she drifted back off: “Sharon,” she said, prying her eyes open. “My name is Sharon.”

Her companion plodded over to a trunk -- Sharon hadn’t noticed it before in the darkness -- and pulled out a Navajo blanket. Sharon laid down and folded her arm under her head as a pillow. She let the woman come over and fold the geometric patterned blanket over her. Sharon felt eyes on her lower half and wondered what her leg looked like. It stung, but her wolf blood did wonders for dulling pain. She tugged the fringe edging over her shoulder and let her eyes drift closed again.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“You’ll live,” she answered. “Go back to sleep.”

“Wait,” Sharon hummed. Was she even going to remember at this point? Whatever. “What’s your name?”

There was a silence. Sharon wondered if somehow she had offended the other wolf woman. Then she got her answer.

“Phi Phi.”

Sharon chuckled, wincing against a sting of pain. “Phi Phi?”

“Yuck it up, Cheryl.”

“ _Phi Phi!!_ ” Sharon cackled. “Are you a pomeranian? Did I get my ass kicked by a pissed off purse dog?”

“L-O-L it’s short for Philomena. My mom was gay for Sylvia Plath. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Sharon laughed a little harder, and regretted it. She gripped her warm lower belly, feeling the tender flesh from where Phi Phi had kicked her. “We could call you Phil,” Sharon smiled.

“If you call me that I _will_ send you to doggie hell.”

Sharon giggled. “Whatever you say…”

Facing the wall, Sharon mouthed, _Phil_.

~~~~~

The next time Sharon woke up, she was starving. Phi Phi was sitting on the floor of her den. By her side was a stack nearly as tall as her torso of to go-boxes. Sharon’s nose recognized meat and eggs and… was that pico de gallo?

Her stomach growled.

Sharon pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing still against the pain in her leg. She wasn’t so afraid of looking at the damage now, she knew just from how she felt that she’d done a great deal of healing.

Phi Phi had wrapped stretchy bandages around her leg and stuffed the dressing with green towels, which were now stained brown. Comparing her two legs, Sharon could tell she was swollen, but all in one piece.

“I’ll change your dressings in a bit.” Phi Phi pulled two of the styrofoam boxes from a plastic bag and walked over to Sharon. “After you eat.”

Sharon wolfed down sausage, toast, bacon, eggs, and a chicken breakfast burrito without so much as a thought. She was always starving when recovering from the Change, but with all the energy that had gone toward healing herself, she could eat an entire army’s canteen and still not feel full.

She stacked one empty box on top of another and eagerly looked to Phi Phi, who had put clothes on since Sharon saw her last. Of course, who picks up food naked? Phi Phi wore a university sweatshirt so big on her it was basically a dress. When it rode up, Sharon could see she’d even put some underwear on -- black men’s briefs.

Sharon thought about her own lack of clothes and her full dresser back at the house. She wanted to go home. But first she wanted more food. She looked back at Phi Phi.

Phi Phi rolled her eyes. “God, if you don’t be careful, you’re gonna start drooling.”

Sharon sniffed. There were five boxes -- her two, and by Phi Phi was still three. “What about those?”

Phi Phi scoffed. “Alpha,” she pointed at herself. “Gets an extra share.”

Sharon pouted her lip. “Injured,” she pointed at herself. “Need my strength. Anyways, you’re tiny. I have more body to feed.”

Phi Phi groaned and rolled her eyes. She picked up one of her boxes. “I’ll share, but I get first pick.”

Sharon huffed. “Fine.”

Phi Phi opened the box. Sharon gasped in horror when she pulled four connected strips of bacon from the box and shoved _all of them_ in her mouth. The self-proclaimed new alpha slid the rest of the contents of the box Sharon’s way. Sharon looked. Hash browns and dry pancakes. She pouted. “You’re not leaving me any meat at all?”

“You just _had_ sausages and bacon,” Phi Phi pointed out.

Sharon felt her eyes water. “But…”

“And did I get so much as a thank you for going out and buying us food? I didn’t _have_ to leave you any.”

Sharon ripped a pancake in half. “You kinda did,” she said. “If the pack doesn’t eat, the alpha… it doesn’t end well for the Alpha.”

Phi Phi rolled her eyes. “Next time you want food, it’s not getting brought to you on a silver platter.”

“These are non-biodegradable single use crockery,” Sharon pointed out.

“Shut up and eat.” Phi Phi commanded.

Sharon took a deep breath and backed off. She ate the rest of her breakfast in silence and took stock of how her body felt. Her neck, shoulder and left side of her face all felt vaguely stiff from where Phi Phi’s claws had torn her a new one. She scratched lightly under her chin and came away with grains of dried blood. She wanted to take a shower.

Further checking herself, Sharon dropped the blanket down her front and leaned back, getting a good look at where her new alpha’s hind paws had struck her. The scratches here were short, shallow. They’d heal much faster than the ones on her neck. The bruises on her lower belly were already purple; they’d fade soon. Then there was the leg.

Phi Phi came over with a tiny first aid kit and a bottle of water. Sharon prepared for the worst, lying flat on her back, balling up the blanket to squeeze. She took in a deep breath as Phi Phi began to unwind the stretchy bandaging. Phi Phi warned Sharon that she was about to remove the towel and Sharon started slowly breathing out. “Hoooooo,” she hummed in soft lamaas breathing.

The towel was stuck to Sharon’s leg with dried blood. Phi Phi had to peel it off. Sharon’s lamaas sounds went from “hooooooo” to “HUUUUUUUUUH”

Phi Phi popped open the water and dumped some on Sharon’s leg. Sharon screamed, then clamped a hand over her mouth. She didn’t see, but Phi Phi sized up the wound. Last night, the bone had been visible in multiple places, and tendons hung out of the deep gouged teeth marks like limp noodles. This morning, however, after Phi Phi had stuck everything back inside and lined it up correctly, she couldn’t see the bone directly anymore, just the outline of where things had been growing back around it. Sharon wasn’t bleeding so heavily, though the dried blood stuck to the towel had been keeping certain parts of the gashes closed, and now they seeped like a sad plumbing mishap.

Phi Phi grabbed a fresh towel and tucked it back around Sharon’s leg. She used the same big blue rubber bands as had held the last dressing in place to secure this. Then she went about wrapping the towel with stretchy bandaging that she’d picked up at a drugstore when she went into town to get food. Once Sharon’s leg resembled a mummy to her best ability, Phi Phi tapped Sharon’s thigh. “You’re done.”

Sharon’s entire body relaxed. She breathed heavily -- she must have been holding her breath while Phi Phi changed her dressing.

“Hoh, fuck that hurt.”

“I bet,” Phi Phi said.

Sharon took a steadying breath. “How long do you think it’ll take?” she asked. “To heal fully.”

Phi Phi thought. “Well I’m no doctor, but I’m guessing you’ll need the dressing still for a day or so. Might need a cane for the better part of a week. Crutches would probably be better, but you won’t need them for long enough to make dropping 200 bucks on a pair of crutches worth it. But that’s just based on how fast I heal, so.”

Sharon sighed. “Well, I have work tomorrow, so I gotta be able to walk--”

“Oh, you wanna try and walk now?” prompted Phi Phi.

“Uhhhhh,” Sharon hesitated. “Do you think my leg can take it?”

Phi Phi paused. “Don’t know unless we try?” She knelt down next to Sharon to help her try and stand.

Sharon ran her fingers through her tangled blonde hair. “This is a bad idea.”

Sharon wrapped her arms around Phi Phi’s shoulders and pushed herself up with her one working leg. She was able to get semi-standing, but when Phi Phi suggested moving her bad leg to try and put weight on it, Sharon gripped the wall. Through clenched teeth, she uttered a stilted “No. Nope. Not happening not today nope.”

Sharon slid back down to the floor, her face somehow paler than usual. “Sorry to disappoint, oh Strong Alpha,” she sighed. “Still an invalid.”

Phi Phi grimaced. She didn’t want to take care of an adult like a damn baby who needed everything done for them.

Sharon rubbed her eyes. “Look, I have a house I rent. If you can find a way to take me there, I can probably make it. Kitchen’s on the first floor, I have a couch and a bathroom available.”

If Phi Phi were in dog form, her ears would have perked up. “You have a _house_?”

“Yeah.”

A thought struck Phi Phi and no sooner had it hit then she was saying, “As your Alpha I invite myself in as a guest in your home.”

“Uhhhh.” Could she do that? Sharon wondered. _Probably. And even if not, she did spare your life and bring you in as a guest at hers. It’s only fitting_. “Alright.”

Sharon spoke again after a beat. “Can you at least get me some clothes before we go, though?”

Phi Phi grabbed the blanket between her hands, dug her nails in and after substantial effort -- those navajos sure could weave a strong fabric -- tore a hand-sized hole in about the middle. She handed it back to Sharon. “Here. You have a poncho. Let’s go, roomie.”

Sharon estimated the size of the hole against her face, then worked the neckhole open enough to force her head through. “One problem.”

“What now?” groaned Phi Phi.

“How do we get me from here to there?”


	2. Housewarming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharon and Phi Phi arrive at Sharon's house.

They were on the other side of town from where Sharon lived, but, to Sharon’s surprise, Phi Phi owned a car. Not a good one, mind you; if ever a vehicle was worthy of the moniker ‘tin can on wheels’, it was this one. Truthfully, the injured woman did not feel at all safe as Phi Phi walked them down a hill to a rock lawn parking lot, staring down a rusted hull of a thing. 

“Does it… does it move?” asked Sharon skeptically. 

Phi Phi rolled her eyes and dug her nails into the skin where she held Sharon, carrying her, bridal-style down the mount. “Of course it moves,  _ princess _ ,” she sniveled. “What? Not high-tech enough for you?”

Phi Phi jammed a key into the drivers side door. She had to really jiggle the lock to get it open. Sharon gulped. The angle she was being held at really pinched her leg. “Ow,” she whispered.

“Shit, sorry.” Phi Phi let Sharon down onto her strong leg. 

Sharon thought the apology seemed more out of obligation than honesty. Though she was afraid at first that the blotchy metal frame would buckle if she leaned against it, Phi Phi’s car remained stiff. Sharon relaxed a little.

Phi Phi got her door open and had to reach over to unlock the back seat manually. Sharon pulled the handle and hauled the light metal door open. It squeaked and offered a dry sound in protest of how much force she’d used.

“Hey, be nice to her,” said Phi Phi. “Gloria’s got me through serious shit.”

“Sorry,” Said Sharon, still outside the car. She was planning her strategy of how she was going to get in. Her leg still felt like it was on fire when she moved it the slightest bit, and the backseat of Phi Phi’s (could she really call it a car?) didn’t have much space. Sharon would need to origami herself to fit.

“The fuck are you waiting for?” asked Phi Phi, turning her key in the ignition. The car wheezed, but couldn’t turn on. She tried again. And again. 

“I’m trying to figure out how I’m gonna go about this,” said Sharon on between revs. “What if you can’t get it on?”

On cue, Phi Phi keyed the ignition and the junker rattled to life. Brown eyes turned back to Sharon; an eyebrow raised. Sharon sighed. Beaten again.

“You need any help?” asked Phi Phi. Sharon shook her head. She didn’t need any more help from the woman who had stomped into her town and made herself Alpha by nearly biting Sharon’s leg off. The blonde, dressed only in a poncho, backed into the bench seat. She curled her body and scooted down like an inchworm until she was curled up on one side of the cab, her injured leg fully extended across the rest of the bench. Sharon had worked up a sweat. Oh God, how she wanted to shower. And put on underwear.

The car started to move, and Sharon grabbed behind her for a seatbelt. She searched with her hands for a while before realizing what was wrong. “Philomena?” she asked smoothly.

“I need you to never call me that,” said the driver, rage underlining her voice. “Understand? That’s an Order.”

Sharon rolled her eyes, but submitted. “Understood, but, uh, does your car… not have seatbelts?”

Phi Phi pulled onto a road that was likely once paved, but now was so riddled with potholes that it was worse than if it were unpaved in the first place. “Nope.”

“Why-y-y d-o-o-e-es y-y-y-ou-u--ur c-a-a-r n-ot ha-a-ave se-e-atb-e-e-lts?” Sharon said, fighting with every bump to keep her cool despite the fact that it felt like her leg was being broken all over again, stabbed repeatedly, every time the cab jostled.

“She-e’s old,” said Phi Phi, unconcerned. “N-o-ot all c-a-rs ha-ad se-ea-t belts, back i-in the da-ay.”

“This ca-an’t be-e stre-eet le-egal.”

“It isn’t.”

They hit a major bump and Sharon grabbed her knee. “OW! MOTHER-FUCK! JEESUS! Fuck, ahhhhhh.”

Phi Phi avoided looking at Sharon in her rearview mirror. “That’s the end of that stretch of road.” 

Sharon let out her breath. Tears stung the edges of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and wetness made tiny trails down her cheeks. Her nose ran. But Phi Phi was right, it got better from then on. 

The farther they went, Sharon got heads-ups from her driver. Stop sign. Slowing down. Speeding up. Deer crossing. In between times she had to breathe her way down from screaming bloody murder, she became aware of crackly sounds coming from the front seat. A thin tan arm reached toward a dial on the dashboard. Radio?

Phi Phi turned the music up loud enough for Sharon to make out the sound. Familiar… she started anticipating the chorus before it hit. “Is that…” Sharon started to say.

Phi Phi turned the music down to hear her better from the front seat. 

“Is that Gloria Estefan?”

“Yeah.” Phi Phi glanced back at Sharon.

“Turn it the fuck up then, Alpha!” 

Phi Phi beamed -- she couldn’t help it -- and cranked the dial up loud enough that whenever she went over a bump in the road, she knew Sharon whined, but couldn’t hear it anymore. And Sharon was able to try and focus on something other than the pain. For the first time that morning, something between them was win-win.

\-----

Once they reached Sharon’s place, the blonde was faced with the fact that she would need to get out of the car at this point. She whimpered. She was so tired, just from the drive and keeping herself under control when one of her limbs felt like it was on fire. “Pheef?” she moaned. “Will you help me get out?”

The alpha begrudgingly slotted one arm under Sharon’s good knee and another across her lower back. She carried Sharon up the porch stairs to the front door, where she let Sharon down on a rickety wooden chair. 

Sharon caught her breath. She looked really pale; any strength she’d gained from breakfast must have petered out by now. Most people with an injury like Sharon’s would be prescribed major painkillers. Phi Phi felt bad for her.

But of course she couldn’t let her know that. Phi Phi folded her arms across her chest and blew at a stray hair in her face. “Where’s your spare house key?”

Sharon was bent over on the chair, resting her weight on her elbows, her head almost between her knees. She pointed in a direction. “Base board’s loose. Pull it back. Key’s there.”

Phi Phi followed instruction. She found the key and went about unlocking the front door. Sharon was still breathing heavily, but it was getting better. “Nice sized place,” she said in Sharon’s general direction as she fiddled with the lock. Key didn’t go in that way. She flipped it over. “Must be pretty well off if you can pay the rent for a place with this kind of square footage.”

Sharon shook her head. “Suspiciously cheap mortgage,” she said. “Pretty sure somebody died in this house. Or had a meth lab.” she smiled wryly. “Probably the meth lab. The basement has running water and a shit ton of power outlets.”

Phi Phi finally got the lock to give, and as soon as she got the front door open, a white streak of fur blew past her. “What the--”

A weird-looking cat had pounced onto Sharon’s lap. It made yelling cat noises and darted its face around Sharon’s face, neck and shoulders. “Missed you too buddy but--” Sharon winced and grabbed the cat’s forelegs. “You’re on my tits.”

The cat pressed its head against Sharon’s collarbone, and when he was satisfied, jumped right off her lap and trotted back inside. 

Phi Phi openly stared at Sharon, utterly puzzled. The cat had brought a little color to Sharon’s face. “What…” Phi Phi said. “Was that cat doing in your house?”

Sharon gave a laugh/exhale. “He lives there?” She shifted. “Could you help me up? I can’t wait to wash everything. I think this chair’s already given me splinters in my ass.”

Phi Phi offered support, pulling Sharon up as she pushed up with her good leg. Phi Phi wrapped a hand around Sharon’s waist. “No, I mean, why do you have a  _ pet _ ? You’re a  _ werewolf _ .”

Sharon made her way through the doorway with Phi Phi’s help. “I mean, Cerrone adopted me. I woke up after a change,” she grunted with the effort of making it around a corner. “And there he was, curled on top of me like I was a… piece of furniture.” She laughed slightly. 

“Here’s the bathroom.”

“You need me to bathe you too?” asked Phi Phi pointedly.

Sharon scoffed. “Very funny.” She turned the handle. “Leave me alone for a while, get… accustomed. But uh, if you could at some point bring me some of my clothes to change into.”

“Mkay,” said Phi Phi, watching Sharon lean against a beige-painted wall to pull off her makeshift poncho. She hadn’t cared to notice before, but now that Sharon had disrobed, Phi Phi realized that her new Beta had a mighty fine body. Muscular, but still she looked mushy in the right spots. Not that she was looking at her that way, of course.

Sharon disappeared into the bathroom and Phi Phi heard running water start.  _ Hm _ , she thought, looking around.  _ Time to get acquainted with my new digs _ .

\-----

Sharon sighed and sat on the toilet, lid down. Her butt was cold on the ceramic, and she wished she could find a way to get her leg on that cold. She was already exhausted, but she’d need to wash away the dried blood and grime if she wanted to figure out what her plan should be. What her story would be. But first, Sharon turned on the hot tap and waited for the tub to fill itself. 

She ran her fingers over the scratches on her stomach. Sharon flattened her breasts under her arms to get a better view. These were ringed in pink, and tender, but they seemed like flesh wounds. A good wash with soap and water should be all she needed; two days recovery, at most.

Then Sharon turned her attention to her face and neck. She ran her fingers over her throat and turned toward the bathroom mirror. She’s avoided it on the way in, as she kind of knew what a disaster she must look like, but still she needed to see what she was working with. Regretfully, she leaned over to see herself.

Her first thought was that it wasn’t  _ so _ bad. Yeah, the reddish brown scabs contrasted obviously with her paper white skin, but for the most part, the marks where Phi Phi had struck her across the muzzle with her claws were skin deep, or just a little more than skin deep. The longest mark went from her hairline above  her left eye, through her eyebrow, skipping most of her under eye and cheek, until it hit her lower jaw, then followed down to her neck on the opposite side of her face. The face structure of a wolf really helped the eyes stay away from harm. The middle, and deepest gash, went from above her left eyebrow, diagonal across her brow line, down her cheek, where it was deepest, oozing a little shiny fresh blood, and cut off at her jawline. The third was on the other side of the longest clawmark, and that one started at the tip of Sharon’s ear. It barely broke skin on her face, except for a hairline scratch on her cheekbone, which would no doubt be gone by nightfall.

Sharon swallowed and looked back at her tub, now full enough to wash what she could before she would have to stand and shower her upper half. Now to go about the task of washing her leg without wetting the dressing. Getting your dressings wet was supposed to be bad, right? Sharon sighed and wished going to the doctor wouldn’t cause suspicion. She could use some prescription narcotics right about now.

\-----

Phi Phi spent a decent time in Sharon’s kitchen. Alcohol, good; meals with preparation involving water and/or a microwave, also good; club crackers, she opened a sleeve and shoved some in her mouth. When that dehydrated her tongue, Phi Phi slurped right from the kitchen tap. 

Now, not really hungry enough to make food, Phi Phi decided to head upstairs to Sharon’s room, and snoop around.

Firstly, Sharon’s decorating style was… eclectic. Her room was shag carpet, but mostly the floor was covered by a turkish-looking rug that was no doubt bought from a parking lot. Her superior sense of smell picked up gasoline and petroleum and… paint -- and people. And people certainly were not frequently in this room. The only scent she picked up was Sharon.

Sharon’s dresser was smooth, uninteresting, dark-ish wood. Ikea, Phi Phi guessed. Inside, she was pleased to find Sharon was  _ not _ organized. She hated neat freaks. Sharon’s socks and underwear were all mixed together. She did appear to own a bra, though one sniff told Phi Phi that Sharon hadn’t worn it in days. Another sniff. Four? Ah well. She set it back hanging on the edge of a standing mirror, which looked fancy, made with Baroque-ish edging, fashioned out of plastic and coated in gold paint. Phi Phi regarded herself in the mirror for a moment, and bent over to whip her hair around, give it some mess. Then she moved on to the closet.

What was hanging were: several pairs of slacks, a blazer, a vest, a polo with some company name on the breast, and a couple of button-downs. The rest of her clothes were haphazardly half-folded and squished into the Ikea dresser. Phi Phi supposed Sharon wouldn’t want to wear her work clothes as leisurewear, and closed the closet, somewhat impressed that Sharon cared about her work clothes. That meant she cared about her job, and wouldn’t lose it or quit it soon, which was good for Phi Phi, as she very much wanted to stay in a house as opposed to a condemned mineshaft.

\-----

Sharon nearly moaned every time she doused water over her skin. It felt like she was washing away years of grime from sleeping on the forest floor. She kept finding pebbles in her hair -- there was even a pebble in her belly button -- no doubt from the wall Pheef had thrown her into. Or had she jumped into it? Things done in Wolf Vision rarely ended up with clear memories. Cool water relieved her injuries, and warmth running down her back from her hair soothed her aches and bruises. 

She did her best to keep her dressings dry, but she had to elevate her leg on the back of the toilet to do it, which messed with her balance, and there was now a damp ring of water around the top of the towel wrapped around her leg. 

Once clean, Sharon grabbed the towel from the towel rack and wrapped herself up as best she could. She felt much better looking at herself in the mirror this time -- the hairline scratch had lightened, or maybe it just looked better with the dried blood washed off. Bruises were more visible, though, especially on her arms and back. She wished she had clothes to change into. Or at least underwear. She stuck her head out of the door. “Hey Pheef!” she called.

“Yeah?” came a distant voice from upstairs.

“Can I have those clothes, now?”

“Oh yeah! Sure!”

Sharon sighed and wrapped her towel more tightly around herself. She would have to trust Phi Phi, and she didn’t really like that principle. Nevertheless, a couple minutes later, the shorter girl brought down a pair of black and white striped cotton shorts, an oversized and abused band T-shirt, and simple black underwear. Sharon thanked her and grabbed the clothes to change in the bathroom.

Phi Phi snorted a little.

“What?” Sharon asked, her back to the cracked-open bathroom door.

“Modesty,” said Phi Phi. “Just funny that you wanna change in there, when--”

“Yeah, well,” said Sharon, tugging the T shirt over her wet hair. 

“Well, what?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, okay?” 

“Need any help?”

Sharon held the underwear between her hands.  _ How in the fuck _ … she wondered.  _ But I am not taking help _ . She placed them on the tile and prepared to step into them. The only problem was… to get them on… she’d have to pull them up. But to do that, she’d have to reach the floor. 

“Want me to come in?” asked Phi Phi from outside.

“Um,”  _ No, _ Sharon’s pride said. Reason won out, though, she couldn’t do it herself. She tugged the edges of the T shirt down. “Just for a second,” she said.

Phi Phi swung the door open wide. 

“I just need them to where I can reach,” said Sharon, examining the wall.

Phi Phi was kneeling, and brought Sharon’s panties up as far as above the knee. Sharon grabbed them out of Phi Phi’s hands. Phi Phi was busy staring at Sharon’s toweled-up leg. 

“Thanks, you can leave me now,” said Sharon. 

Phi Phi just looked up at her. “Did you… not wash your leg?”

Sharon looked at it. “No.”

“Why not?”

Sharon shrugged a little. Her shoulders felt tight. “I dunno, you’re not supposed to get dressings wet I don’t think.”

“When they’re hard to get on and off,” said Phi Phi. “And uh, I did that in a hole in the ground using a bottle of water to sterilize the wound. It could use a good clean.”

Sharon sighed. “I’m so tired. Can you just let me lie down on the couch and be unconscious for a day?”

Phi Phi rolled her eyes and grabbed the shorts off the counter. “I’ll clean it for you. Lift up your foot.”

“What?”

“You miraculously able to bend your leg now?” questioned Phi Phi. “It’s the same problem as the underwear, Share, c’mon.”

Sharon covered her face in her hands and let Phi Phi finish dressing her. It wasn’t even about Phi Phi seeing her naked -- as she had pointed out, it was nothing new. It was just so embarrassing, not being able to pull up her own goddamn underwear, and not being able to think. Before she could stop them, tears made their way between the gaps in her fingers and a choked gasp took her throat.

Phi Phi looked up. “Shit, girl, we gotta get some drugs into you.”

Sharon felt hands grip her shoulders and lead her out of the room. For once, she was actually relieved to not be in charge. She was backed into the couch, and she lay down when directed. Phi Phi rummaged around in her kitchen while Sharon relaxed into lethargy. 

Some time later, a hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present, and put a glass of orange juice and two over-the-counter pain pills on the coffee table an arm’s length away. Sharon stared at them for a bit, working up the motivation to move her arm. Once she’d relaxed, she kind of never wanted to move again. 

“You’re gonna want to take those,” said Phi Phi. “You’re gonna want them to have kicked in by the time I’m washing your leg.”

Sharon was about to reach for the juice as directed, but that was exactly when Cerrone, having been eyeing the nice smelling orange drink, jumped up on the table, put a paw directly on top of the pain tablets, and leaned over to start lapping at the brim. Sharon smiled. 

“Hey!” Phi Phi clapped loudly, getting the cat’s attention. “No. That’s for Sharon. Off. Off, off, off.”

Cerrone looked to Sharon, as if to say, what’s wrong with the new girl? Purely out of courtesy for the newcomer, Cerrone left the table, only to stalk into a corner and watch for an opportune moment to strike again. 

Sharon exhaled, about as close to a laugh as she could get, and placed the tablets on her tongue. She took two big gulps of OJ and felt the pills go down. Out of breath already, she let her head fall back on her pillow and willed the drugs to start working soon. 

Sharon was vaguely aware of things moving around on the side of the couch where her legs were, but she was so tired she barely noticed. There was the sound of water filling a basin in the bathroom, and later Phi Phi’s voice, telling Sharon she was going to move her leg. “I’ll go slow,” she said.

And she did go slow, carefully bringing Sharon’s injured leg up onto the arm of the couch, on top of a towel she had placed. Sharon breathed deeply and kept her eyes closed. Gently, her new housemate undid the rubber bands, releasing some pressure that Sharon felt. It wasn’t so bad. Still, she placed her hand on the corner of a couch cushion, ready to need to dig her nails in. Cerrone decided this was his moment, and hopped onto Sharon’s lap, purring softly. A small smile broke across her lips and Sharon wove her fingers into his fur.

This time, Phi Phi used warm water to break up what was under the dressing, which tugged a little, but it wasn’t so bad, and she was thankful for the warmth. Cerrone distracting her senses was also helpful. 

The towels were removed fully, and Sharon was suddenly aware of how cold the air was. Dread tugged at her: the easy part was over. Cerrone wiggled further up to lie with his front feet on her boobs. She could feel his hot breath on her face; she leaned her head forward and kissed his head. 

Sharon did her best to breathe during, but she couldn’t help the strangled noises that came out of her when soap was applied to her wounds. “ _ Shiiit _ ,” she hissed. “How much longer?”

“Looks better than it did a little bit ago,” said Phi Phi. “Maybe it’s because there wasn’t long to build up crud, or it just looked worse in the bad lighting.”

Sharon’s eyes squeezed tears out, falling down the sides of her face. Cerrone lapped at the sides of her throat. She ground her teeth together. “How. Much. Longer?” the last word broke in her throat, choked by sobs.

“That should be it, actually.”

Sharon let out a huge, almost sexual-sounding sigh of relief. Phi Phi’s eyebrows raised when she heard it, but went to grab what she’d found in the medicine cabinet first aid kit. “So we’ve got some gauze and wrapping bandages here, but first I’m gonna put some petroleum jelly on to keep the wounds moist and allow your body to do healing stuff without drying out.”

Sharon opened her eyes for the first time in a while. The world was brighter, but she needed to know something. “You a doctor?”

Phi Phi cracked a smile. “Yeah, youngest med school graduate ever.”

“Really?”

“Of course not,” said Phi Phi. “I worked at an Urgent Care. And I know basic first aid.” She started applying the gel to Sharon’s abused flesh. “Everyone in the pack did.”

Sharon breathed into the light sting of pressure. “Sounds useful,” she said. “What happened to that pack?” 

Phi Phi didn’t look up from her task. “What do you mean.”

“Why aren’t you with them anymore?” asked Sharon, honestly just looking for distraction now that she could think somewhat. “Did something happen to them?”

Phi Phi wiped her greasy fingers on the towel. “You could say that.” 

Sharon let silence fall. Phi Phi clearly wasn’t into talking about her old pack, and she wasn’t fond of making her do things she didn’t want, especially since she just spent a half hour cleaning her own smelly leg wound. Once she felt something being pressed into where she was definitely most sensitive, and something like cloth being wrapped around and around her leg, Sharon couldn’t help but ask. “Phi Phi?”

“Hm.”

“Why did you come here? There has to have been a reason, or you wouldn’t have fought me for it.”

Phi Phi tied off the bandage, securing it in place. “All in good time,” was all she said before asking Sharon if she wanted food. 

Sharon said she wanted to take a nap first and would eat later. No sooner had she said that, she went out cold. She dreamt of fur and moons and running from a man with a sword and no head, who brought his comically large sword down on her leg, cutting into it, hot.

She woke up with cat hair in her mouth and a bag of frozen peas on her leg.


	3. Making It Through The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phi Phi and Sharon gear up for the second moon. The New Alpha takes care of Sharon, and a token from her past is brought in to save the day -- or night, as it were.

Surprisingly enough, when Sharon needed her, Phi Phi was available without a fuss.

The first time she shut her eyes with both of them in the house together, she’d slept for around 8 hours, according to Phi Phi. Sharon had only dragged herself awake when she couldn’t sleep any longer with the hunger pains in her stomach. She felt so weak; she wondered if she’d be able to even speak up and ask for something to eat.

Then there was the microwave buzzing in the kitchen. Phi Phi emerged a moment later, having cracked open one of the neglected cans of soup from Sharon’s cabinet. How old even was it? She remembered buying some from the store… three changes ago? Four? However much the risk of the soup being expired was, Sharon didn’t care. Too weak at the time to raise her own arm or even sit up a little, she eagerly received the spoonful of straight broth Phi Phi guided to her lips. While she swallowed, Phi Phi resituated her pillows and sat Sharon up a little.

This time, there was a kind of agreement. Sharon hated having to be treated like a baby, and Phi Phi hated being a nanny to a fully grown woman. So neither bothered complaining, they merely did what they had to.

After a few spoonfuls and some time, Sharon’s cheeks pinkened, and she was able to feed herself. It was exhausting, though, to hold herself up on her elbow and keep moving the spoon back and forth. Then there was chewing, which had to happen slowly, sleepily. When she had drained most of the bowl, it felt like Sharon’s stomach was growling for more, but she just didn’t have it in her to try and take in a whole other meal.

Phi Phi padded barefooted back into the living room and lifted up the blanket over Sharon’s injured leg. “How’s the pain?”

Sharon sighed and tried to focus. “Feels more… stiff… than actually painful now.”

Phi Phi nodded, her round lips pressed together. “Good.” She looked over at Sharon. “You want more Tylenol?”

Sharon had to think about it. “I mean… if you want.”

“I’ll give you one,” decided Phi Phi. She returned with a single white tablet and another glass of fruit juice.

Sharon swallowed the pill with the drink provided and winced. “I didn’t think I owned pomegranate juice.”

“You didn’t,” said Phi Phi. “I popped over to the tiny grocery store down the way. What, do you not like pomegranate juice?”

“Not dislike,” said Sharon. “Just wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s fine.” Suddenly realizing something, Sharon looked around. “How’d you buy groceries?”

Phi Phi avoided Sharon’s eyes in favor of poking under her dressings to see how things were progressing. The frozen peas had helped bring down the swelling, and it didn’t seem like Sharon was still bleeding. She answered Sharon’s question: “You know, the cash you stash next to the plates. I only took a $20, and brought the change back, so you don’t gotta freak out or anything. I assumed you wouldn’t mind.”

Though she seemed by her voice to be flippant and unconcerned, Sharon could tell by how she held her shoulders, tilted her head down and away, that Phi Phi was nervous about taking the money. _It’s only right_ , thought Sharon, _that I put her at ease about this. And besides, nothing at the QuickMart is that expensive to begin with._

“Nah, it’s fine,” said Sharon airily. “What else did you buy? Think I was out of cereal if I remember right.”

Phi Phi eased up a little. “Yeah, cereal -- and I didn’t know what kind you liked so I just grabbed a couple of the single serving containers. You’re also out of deli meat, which I was not about to buy from a convenience store -- didn’t seem like something you’d do, but I did pick up more ketchup.”

Sharon nodded. It was late afternoon, and golden light streamed in from the windows. “I’ll probably pick up some ham from the store tomorrow after work.”

“Speaking of work,” said Phi Phi with an air of nerves. “Have you thought about what you’re gonna tell them?”

Sharon shuffled back against her pillows, ready to curl up for more sleep. “I dunno,” she said. “A version of my regular cover story.”

“And that would be?”

Sharon stretched her arms above her head. “Drunk. Don’t remember much.”

“Won’t that make them worry?” asked Phi Phi. “Like, how often are you telling your coworkers and boss that you get blackout drunk and injure yourself?”

Sharon shrugged, closing her eyes. “Every couple of months.”

“But do you think they’ll question how you could fuck up your leg so bad you limp for days later?”

“I’ll be fine in a week,” Sharon reasoned, growing tired of this conversation. “If that.” She scoffed. “You’d be surprised how much people will ignore other people’s problems.”

“Right,” muttered Phi Phi under her breath. A sting of old guilt hit her, but she shoved that away just as quickly.

The alpha remained on the edges of the living room until she could hear the other’s breathing level out in sleep. Then, she slipped on the dollar store sandals she’d bought, and headed out into the dusk.

***

Phi Phi tapped into the Wolf, always buzzing under her skin, especially during Full Moons. Right now, she needed the Sight of her wolf. Needed to pinpoint movement and light in the distance and on the other side of the fence. The local junior high’s track team was at practice, just finishing up by the looks of it. Phi Phi cursed herself for arriving late. If only she could have seen the girl at a sprint, been able to gauge heightened abilities, see her at her best, track how much better _her_ best was opposed to her peers.

Phi Phi bit her lip. The girl’s first transformation couldn’t be far off. _Unless she never turns_ , she thought bitterly. _Unless you were wrong._

But she can’t afford to think like that, and with the sun already low in the sky, she didn’t have much time to stick around and stalk the kid. _Not this month_ , she noted, and headed back through the brush to trek back to the side of the road where she’d parked Gloria.

The old car wheezed and strained against the incline to the dirt road, and thankfully chuffed into the dirt lot. Back to where she had been only this morning, Phi Phi took the trail up to the condemned mineshaft in the lavender light of dusk. Again the Wolf assisted her, and her night vision kicked in.

With the Wolf’s senses came Her hunger and need for freedom, from her clothes, from her body, from her humanity. Phi Phi felt her teeth and nails ache, and managed to pacify the Wolf with the prayer her mentor had taught her. _You and She are two sides of a coin. She has Her time and you, yours. You have the ability to stop Her from taking what is rightfully yours. She is not the one in charge when you are you. Do not let Her bully you._

Phi Phi took a deep breath. She imagined herself with her palm on the head of her Wolf. “Not yet,” she hummed, halfway up the mountain. “You will have your time, but not yet.”

The mineshaft had been an excellent find for a den: far away from civilization, surrounded by woods and condemned by authorities. Should any lack of control happen, the cave would likely collapse in on them, preserving civilian life. Phi Phi had prepared for every situation.

She passed the bright red “CONDEMNED” sign next to the opening to the mineshaft and entered for the last time. It still smelled vaguely of breakfast inside. Phi Phi started salivating, and had to refocus on why she was here.

She’d left Winslow with very little. Most of her material possessions were stored in a hand-carved juniper cigar box. Phi Phi had been told that one of the Elders had carved sigils of protection and secrecy onto the border of the box. She had no way of knowing if it was true, but the carvings were nice, and they offered a kind of security, a kind of class. It pleased Phi Phi that one of the only things she owned was a functional piece of art handed down at least two generations. Like an heirloom.

In near-absolute darkness, Phi Phi pried the box open enough to tell that its contents were unchanged since last night, and immediately clapped it shut.

Making her way back down the mountain, cigar box tucked under her arm, Phi Phi felt anxiety building inside. It was properly dark out now, and her Wolf paced around within, tail flicking in anticipation. God, why did she have to make the stop at the school? She kicked herself. She had to get back to Sharon’s -- get the injured werewolf secure, get the fucking cat secure in a different place.

On the way back, she drove Gloria harder, more recklessly than normal. If Sharon wolfed out and accidentally ate her cat, she’d never forgive Phi Phi for allowing it to happen. She growled, thinking of that ugly ass thing, curled up on Sharon’s chest, purring at her… so fucking cute.

Night had properly fallen by the time she finally made it back to Sharon’s. Before her Wolf abilities had surfaced in her teens, Phi Phi had sucked at direction -- she got lost taking the same route she always had. But when The Wolf had arrived, she gained the ability to see the world in the context of a mental map. So she now knew that two streets down from the Quick Mart, a left turn and all the way until the road curved, Sharon’s double story home awaited.

She left most of her shit in the car, and parked Gloria on the curb so she wouldn’t have to move her in the morning when Sharon left for work. Phi Phi shook her head and exhaled a little. Honestly, it was very difficult to believe Sharon would be able to function well enough to drive tomorrow, let alone walk or… she shook her head. Taking out Sharon’s spare house key (which she has already started to think of as her key), Phi Phi opened the front door to hear the sound of rustling fabric. Immediately, her enhanced senses sent her muscles into gear before her human brain could catch up, and she found herself grabbing Sharon’s bony wrists and forcing the woman back into her couch nest.

“Woah, where'd you come from?” huffed Sharon. “I kept calling for you. You didn’t answer.”

Phi Phi’s mouth didn't have enough time to take in the information from what Sharon had just said. She just steamrolled ahead with what she had thought to say. “What are you doing?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Didn’t know having to pee was breaking couch arrest.”

Phi Phi’s mind finally caught up, and she relaxed her hold on the other’s arms. She shifted back to give Sharon space. “Sorry. I was out, grabbed a few things from the cave -- can I help you up?”

Sharon sighed and looked up. “Yeah, actually. Thanks.”

Phi Phi breathed “No problem” and let Sharon lean against her small frame for balance as they headed to the bathroom. Phi Phi hesitated outside the door, holding it open for Sharon. “Need me?”

Sharon bit her lip. Her light brown brows furrowed in thought. “No, I’m good,” she said, undoing the drawstring of her shorts. “I think,” she added, so softly Phi Phi nearly missed it.

Before Sharon could limp her way past the doorway, Phi Phi reached across to block her. “Hey,” she said. “Moon’s out. You need me, I’ll hear it.”

Sharon swallowed and turned away, walking into the bathroom once her new alpha let her through. Wordlessly, she stepped in, closing the door softly behind her.

Suddenly, Phi Phi realized just how weird and creepy what she’d just said was. _God_ , she squeezed the bridge of her nose. _If only I could fucking_ change. She hated stalling it, and felt The Wolf itching and scratching at the sides. _It’s okay_ , she told herself. _Just a little bit longer_.

Checking back in with Sharon, Phi Phi heard footfalls on the tile floor, bouncing. Nothing else. “Everything okay?”

“Actually,” said Sharon, her voice echoed around the small room. “Could you…”

“What?” Phi Phi turned toward the door. “Want me to come in?”

“No, God, no.” Sharon struggled to find words. Her fidgeting stopped. “I just can’t with you listening, okay?”

Phi Phi pulled away from the wall. “Oh.” That seemed completely reasonable, how did she miss that Sharon would be uncomfortable? Fucking Wolf, not knowing how to relate to others. “Yeah, sure, I’ll… turn on some white noise or something.”

“Thanks,” Sharon breathed. As Phi Phi relocated to the living room to turn on one of Sharon’s podcasts, she thought about just how genuinely relieved Sharon had sounded. That may have been the most genuine thanks Phi Phi had ever heard. But then, manners weren’t really a Wolf thing.

But then again, maybe that was just in her old pack.

Fuck, Phi Phi just wanted the Wolf to take over so she could stop thinking so much.

***

Sharon was able to complete her bathroom routine without calling for help, which was a major plus, as she couldn’t even stand by herself this morning. Phi Phi stood at attention while she watched Sharon make her way down the last few meters of the hall, back into the living room. She was ready for the slightest signal, but Sharon breathed slowly and kept a determined expression, leaning on the walls for support, until she made it to the corner. This was where leaning on the walls fell short, and she glanced up at Phi Phi, her hand stretched out. “Can I just have an arm?”

Phi Phi obliged, and tried to hone in on signs of weakness. The sleep had clearly done Sharon good, strengthening and energizing her, but from the chalky color on her face compared to when she’d woken up, she could tell Sharon’s strength was running out.

Once they reached the couch, Sharon let herself fall heavily back down. She panted like she’d just scaled a flight of stairs, and swallowed hard.

Phi Phi drummed her sharpening nails against her leg and bit her lip. “Still a full moon tonight,” she noted.

Sharon closed her eyes and exhaled. “I know,” she said softly. “I feel it too.”

“You said something about a bunker in the basement or something?”

Sharon breathed in and scratched her face. “Yeah. There’s a code. I can tell you all that. I…” she averted her eyes, her hands balling into fists. “I don’t think I can do those stairs by myself yet.”

“Of course,” said Phi Phi without hesitation. “You wanna go now or--”

“Gimme a second,” said Sharon, waving a hand. “Lemme catch my breath. In the meantime, ah, could you, God, Cerrone needs to be locked off in my room upstairs. He’s got all he needs in there, just…”

Phi Phi chomped at the bit for a task to do. “Where do you keep the canned cat food?”

Sharon let out a little sigh-laugh. “Pantry. Short yellow tins. They’ve got tabs on them. Rest assured, when you pop that tab,” said Sharon. “He will come.”

***

Phi Phi took a few steps and stood on the landing to the second story. “Cat?” she called softly, tapping her nails on the top of the tin. A little louder: “Cerroone?” She sensed a shift, and knew, even though she couldn’t hear claws hit the floor, that she had his attention. She popped the tab.

The spotted housecat bounced his way over to, and then past Phi Phi. Blowing past her, he yelled at her from the top of the carpeted stairs.

Phi Phi grunted. Why anyone kept these bitchy old men with fur as pets was beyond her. No matter how sweet watching him purr on top of Sharon was. The first opportunity to live on her own, she would take it.

Heading back down the stairs, Phi Phi stretched her arms to warm up. She suspected Sharon wouldn’t weigh much, especially tonight, when Phi Phi’s strength was at its greatest, at least for her human form. On the couch, the blonde woman sat groggily, a blanket around her elbows like some kind of monarch seated for a portrait. One where the monarch’s crown was her own hair tangled into a nest at the back of her head.

Phi Phi held out her arms. “Ready?”

Sharon rubbed her thumb under her left eye. Her hand was shaking. “Actually,” she said. “I was thinking you could go ahead down the stairs to enter the code and open the door first, so you won’t have to try and work a keypad while… y’know.”

 _While holding a fully grown adult woman in my arms?_ Phi Phi thought. She nodded, ready to memorize whatever the code was.

Sharon started with letters and numbers, and Phi Phi’s brain lost track more quickly than she would have liked. “Wait,” she said, heading into the kitchen to grab the sharpie from Sharon’s junk drawer.

Sharon had to dictate the code again slowly, then check over what Phi Phi had chicken scratched on the inside of her arm. “What even-- I never said a 6.”

“That’s a C,” said Phi Phi.

“Here--” Sharon grabbed the marker out of Phi Phi’s hand and darkened the line to make it obvious it was a letter of the alphabet and not a number. “So there’s no confusion,” she said, capping the pen and setting it on the coffee table.

Phi Phi rolled her eyes. “I can read my own handwriting.”

Sharon smiled skeptically. “Sure you can.”

The door to the basement was on the inside of a broom closet, and Phi Phi nearly missed it. Made out of off-white plastic, a guest would think it was a board or a closed shelving unit of some kind. Only a small indent in the innermost corner of the wall revealed the door, and, pulling it aside on its set track, Phi Phi felt a childish rush. Secret hidden doors! To a panic room basement! How cool!

Heading down the metal grate stairs, Phi Phi bypassed the light switch. She was one sneeze away from changing and could easily make out what was ahead of her. When she came to the keypad, also metal and industrial, she entered in what was on her arm, using the layout of the keys. Entering the last digit, Phi Phi heard the release of the lock within the door, and opened the door by the varnish handle.

Unfortunately, Phi Phi made the mistake of brushing her hand against the metal surface of the door, and yelped at the sting that flashed through her hand. She waved her hand in the air to cool it off and hissed. _Silver. Smart move, Shar_. “Fuck!”

“Oh yeah,” echoed a voice from above. “Don’t touch the door itself.”

Phi Phi felt a growl at the back of her throat. “NOW you tell me?!”

***

What Phi Phi hadn’t considered was the logistics of carrying someone a full 8 inches taller than her down a narrow, dimly lit flight of stairs to a door that couldn’t be touched with bare hands by either of them.

Sharon swore under her breath and blinked back tears when Phi Phi knocked her bad leg into the wall again. _Not much further,_  she told herself.

Once on the landing, Phi Phi gently set Sharon against the dusty cement wall. Sharon pressed her head against the cool corner. She felt lightheaded. How was she going to make it through the night down here without hurting herself?

“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” said Phi Phi, smacking her pockets. “Shit, it’s in the car,” she said. “One sec.”

The other werewolf darted back through the door and up the stairs. Sharon looked up, feeling a shiver run down her spine at the moonlight reflected through the ground-level window on the other side of the room. Leaning against the wall, Sharon made her way over to the single cot in the corner. Sighing in relief, she reaquainted herself with her panic room.

Her basement was a little smaller than the foundation of the house itself. It smelled of damp and stale air. Since the only time she was really down here was during Full Moon Week, the one yellow light hanging from the ceiling was sufficient. The long shadows and sickly sheen it gave the rectangular cell was like mood lighting.

Footsteps took the stairs back down two — maybe three at a time. Her dollar store sandals slapped against the concrete floor. Sharon looked up.

Phi Phi held in her one hand a metal chain, linked to an odd looking amulet she held in the other. “It’s not a cure by any means,” she said as she crossed the room. “But this’ll keep you sane enough to keep yourself safe tonight.”

Upon closer inspection, Sharon found the circular amulet to be slightly wider than her palm, and made of glassy black stone. Etched into the rock were arcane symbols, inlaid with some metallic foil or paint. The runes sparkled in the limited light, and gave Sharon an odd sense of peace the closer she was to the amulet. Most impressively, the center of the amulet held a thumb-sized moonstone; it seemed to churn from the inside, like sand.

Phi Phi placed the steel chain around Sharon’s neck. “How does that feel?”

Heavy, was Sharon’s first thought. Then, heavy in the way eyelids get heavy, like a shock blanket on your shoulders. It was a comforting weight. She smiled, staring at the floor stains. “Safe.”

Phi Phi nodded, letting out a breath. “Good.” She ruffled her messy hair. “Anything else you need?”

“Actually,” said Sharon hesitantly. Her hand already clutched the amulet protectively. “I usually get… pretty hungry, during the night.”

Phi Phi nodded quickly, problem solving in her head. “Okay. Okay, I’ll see to that.        Meanwhile, you put that foot up again. Lie down. Relax. That amulet’s covered in runes of protection and serenity— my old pack used to use it as training wheels for wolves who haven't figured out the change yet. It allows the wolf to take over your body like it needs to, but keeps your human mind in control.”

Sharon lay down on the cot. “I can get relief without damaging myself?” _Wow,_  she thought, rubbing the scar on her hand. _Why am I only now finding out about this?_

Phi Phi left again and Sharon allowed her eyes to close. She dropped back inside herself, letting out a little moan as she unclenched. Letting her Wolf breathe, a shiver rippled through her. Sharon felt fur poke out from her pores. She felt the odd sensation of nails growing longer, of teeth self-sharpening.

And yet, just like Phi Phi said, her mind was in tact. Her Wolf rejoiced at the extra breathing room, but strained against her clothes. _She_ would not have thought twice about tearing off Sharon’s shorts and pajama top, but they stayed on. _For now,_  promised Sharon. Once Phi Phi left, and she was alone in the bunker, _She_ could get naked all _She_ wanted.

Sharon dug her head into the single pillow on the cot. She wanted to cry. _Control._  She folded her hands lovingly over the amulet, feeling almost orgasmic levels of relief.

Phi Phi galumphed back down the stairs and tossed some things at the floor next to Sharon’s cot.

“Why do the kids ever _stop_ using these?” asked Sharon.

“Gotta learn sometime.” Evidently, Phi Phi had let go a little too. Sharon’s eyes remained closed, but she heard Phi Phi’s voice change — deepen — and her mouth sounded crowded. “Besides,” she added with an air of warning. “Those things aren't easy to come by.”

Sharon turned to face Phi Phi, and cracked her lids open the slightest bit. “I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” A few seconds of silence passed before Phi Phi spoke again. “Need anything else? I see the bucket in the corner—“

“I think I’m good,” Sharon cut in. “Thanks.”

“Mkay. Well...” Phi Phi shifted as if to leave.

Sharon caught her by the prickly wrist. She forced her over sensitive eyes open so she could really lock in on Phi Phi. “But really,” she said. “Thank you.”

Phi Phi slowly nodded. Sharon released her arm and placed her hand over the amulet once again. Another shiver had half her body sprouting more fur.

The alpha backed out of the room, using a towel to shut the door behind her. She called back through the chain links in the gate “Take care of yourself. And remember.” She paused, smirking. “You owe me.”


End file.
